[Phatjoe]

Hi,

This is my first post, but I've been checking out this forum for awhile now.

I'm looking to purchase a new 718 Cayman S with a manual transmission. More interested in a base model but a couple of options is fine. Seems like folks are getting 8-10% off msrp for 2018s. I'm just not finding that at the Austin Porsche dealership.

I'm willing to travel a bit for the right Cayman S. Please let me know of any dealers that are willing to go 8-10% under msrp.

Thanks

 

[Semitone]

Just because somebody else got 10% off in the past, doesn’t mean you will. Inventory and incentives change constantly.

I suggest you send a few emails and make a few phone calls to dealers and just flush out a deal. Be willing to pay to have a car shipped, or travel a bit, if you want the best deal.

 

[Viffermike]

Hi,

This is my first post, but I've been checking out this forum for awhile now.

I'm looking to purchase a new 718 Cayman S with a manual transmission. More interested in a base model but a couple of options is fine. Seems like folks are getting 8-10% off msrp for 2018s. I'm just not finding that at the Austin Porsche dealership.

I'm willing to travel a bit for the right Cayman S. Please let me know of any dealers that are willing to go 8-10% under msrp.

Thanks

Heyya Phat; welcome to the forum!

What @Semitone says is good advice: Shop around. If you're specifically looking for a 2018 model, you'll need to find one on a lot since the 2019s are now in production.

Keep these factors in mind as well:
- Austin is a one-dealer town; that narrows things. Expand your search to San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas at a minimum.
- Negotiating the price of an in-stock car should be easier since 2019s are arriving. That said, your car is not going to be easy to find anywhere for two reasons: the manual transmission and the fact that it's an 'S' model, the production of which has been halted almost completely for the NA market in favor of the GTS. This happened in late spring.
- As with any dealer network, there are 'bad' Porsche dealers and there are 'better' ones -- and which one falls into which category is dependent on a number of factors that are fair and are not fair. Porsche of Austin has a mixed reputation; part of that reputation involves not being very malleable on price. Other Texas dealers will 'deal' more.
- Are you completely set against ordering a 2019? You would wait a while, but you'd get the exact car you want -- and you can still negotiate a decent discount off MSRP.

 

[Semitone]

I agree with @Viffermike.

Here are few more points.

The first things almost any dealer asks are: 1.) Do you have a trade-in and 2.) are you financing? They are looking for a way to give you are deal on a car but get their money back some other way..fees here or there, low trade-in...So, if you have either of these issues you need to get it all out on board and get the best all-in deal.

Second, pretty much nobody ever walks into a dealership and gets offered 8-10% off. You need to dance. (Preferably I like to dance in emails). The only way you get 10% is if you use the 8% you got from another dealer as leverage, or you ask for 15% off and settle for 10%. Your ultimate negotiating strength comes from your ability to walk away.

( I am just using 10% as an example and not necessarily saying whether it is realistic at this time.)

If you can't walk out the door (figuratively), then you most likely can't get a good deal. In my experience, the customer usually cares more about getting a deal done than the salesperson. So you need to tread lightly but confidently.

Some dealers just don't deal much. My local dealer is Greenwich, CT and I have never bought any car , including three Porsches, from any dealer in Greenwich. They don't seem to care if they sell to me, and I just go on to the next ( or further) town. They are still in business, and I keep finding cars at a discount. It's a big country

Shopping/negotiating can be a tedious pain in the a$$, so don't get discouraged. Ignore most of what salesmen say like "I need to get this done today, this is the best I can do" or "Everybody pays MSRP for this car".

Good luck.

 

[limniscate]

In my experience, the Texas dealers don't discount very much, which is why I bought my car in Los Angeles.

 

[ArchiProf]

I contacted via e-mail virtually every Porsche dealer within 500 miles (about 25). I provided the link to the configurator build and asked if they had an allocation and a quote on their "best price" including the USAA discount and two scenarios: cash purchase or trade in my 2014 Cayman. I provided a photo of the 2014 Cayman with miles and details.

I heard back from almost all of them with discounts ranging from no discount to 9%. Several of them gave me a "qualified estimate" on trade-in value.

I then took this information to the local dealer and asked how close they could get. They got close enough that after I factored in the hotel and travel costs to the other dealership and the excellent service I had received from them on the 2014 Cayman, I ordered the 2018 Cayman from them.

 

[Porsche2018]

A word of advice, and I wanted to wait before posting but based upon my recent and past experiences I would avoid the Austin dealership like it is radioactive. To be clear, it's more than their pricing that is an issue.

 

[autobahn]

Austin is not willing to make deals. I bought out of CA. Work with United Heritage CU if you're going to finance, they're awesome and handled all the out of state paperwork with ease.

Make sure to use the Planet 9 Porsche Finder (is it still up?) to search inventory, if you can.

Manual trans is going to make your search more difficult, as mine was (I wanted all the performance options including PDK/PTV/Sport Chrono without all the luxury farkles)

 

[autobahn]

Also, make sure to post up when you buy one! I just did a track day at COTA this weekend with our local PCA chapter, they run great events.